Top positive review
5.0 out of 5 starsA little powerhouse! The value for $ King of HiFi
Reviewed in the United States on March 9, 2022
For the right type of setup- this amplifier is staggeringly good. I have directly compared it to the NAD 3020 (the Cambridge sounds like it makes MUCH more power despite the identical rating) and the Denon PM6000 (the Denon absolutely plays louder- like WAY louder- but sounds restricted in the music it reproduces compared to the Cambridge which sounds open, full range, punchier in the bass, and effortless.) I have this amp in my bedroom running some Paradigm Reference Q100b’s with inputs supplied by an Arylic S50 Pro+. Obviously at this price point Cambridge made a pretty big concession- no digital inputs at all. That said- an Arylic S50 is $220 and gives you streaming and plenty of digital inputs along with a pretty decent DAC- so the 2 pieces together cost $70 more than the Denon. The combination sounds WAY BETTER than $70 more- the bass is far more detailed and tight, the highs are crisp without being fatiguing, and vocals are incredibly clear. I can’t speak to the long term durability as I have only had it for a couple days- but I’ve never had a stereo component outright fail on me before and as solid as this one feels I doubt it will be my first. The volume knob feels great, the display is nice- but not really legible from across the room. The remote is unremarkable but successfully makes the amp louder or quieter on command so it’s hard to complain. The sound from the NAD 3020 is better than the Denon- but it’s not neutral- it sounds fatter to my ears- richer and detailed, but lacks punch compared to the other two. That said- the NAD is a really good all-in-one type solution for a simple system as it has digital inputs and a subwoofer out. It’s FAR smaller than these other 2, plays well, but you have to crank the volume way up compared to the other 2 amps. So to sum up, the Cambridge is the best amp of the bunch, and the cheapest to purchase. The build quality is definitely NOT cheap though. It looks and sounds spectacular. My second choice would be the NAD, for its size and flexibility- though if you want to play music loud- you’ll want to look elsewhere. The Denon is a great amp, has digital connections and Bluetooth. It’s let down by a soundstage that never extends beyond the width of the speakers and feels like it’s centered well behind them. It is a monster on the power front- I can’t imagine anyone turning it up past 50% in a very large room- but because the soundstage is what it is, despite the extra volume it never sounds like it ever comes “alive”. Maybe it’s a bad pairing with my Paradigms, but I’ve heard these speakers with a similarly powered Marantz and they sounded better there. For $350 if there is a better stereo amplifier out there- I’ve not seen or heard it. To add the digital streaming/connectivity to bring it on par with the other 2 makes the price the same, but provides superior sound quality, and flexibility. An outstanding choice.
